The invention is in the field of security devices, and particularly pertains to security for hinged exterior doors such as the front door. There are, both on the market and in the Patent Office, a number of different devices which limit the amount that a door can be opened before the limiting device is released. The most common, and probably the oldest of these is the door chain. Once the door is opened to the extent permitted by the chain, it can be opened no further until the door is reclosed.
There are several variations of the door chain on the market, often involving hinged bars or plates which interact with structure on the other side of the door opening to achieve the same result as the chain. Some of these devices are improvements, and others are perhaps no more effective but have an advantage only in their novel or cosmetic appearance.
It is a common characteristic of all of these limiters that the door cannot be opened until it is at least partially re-shut to enable the resident to disengage the limiting device. However, a common shortcoming in these limiters is that there is no way of forcing the door closed once it is open. A stronger person on the outside of the door could insert a weapon through the opening, or force the door completely open by breaking the limiting device when forcing it against a weaker person inside, such as an elderly person. The only obstacle between the intruder and the resident is the strength of the limiting device and the limited gap between the door and the door frame.
There is need, in addition to a gap-limiting device, a means of forcibly closing the door which is effective even if the resident is of substantially inferior strength compared to the intruder.